Brake for textile mill spindles



Nov. 28, 1950 A c. E. MILLER ET Al. 2,532,261

BRAKE FOR TEXTILE MILL SPINDLES Filed June 18, 1949 m 5 `le, 13, z5

JNVENTOR.

Cmmzuas E. MlLLEa HOYO H. Swat-:T BY

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 28, 1950 BRAKE FOR TEXTILE `MILL SPINDLES CharlesE. Miller, East Cleveland, and Floyd H. Sweet, Euclid, Ohio, assignorsto Marquette Metal Products Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a

corporation Application June 18, 1949, Serial No. 100,052

4 Claims.

l The invention relates to an improved brake construction for textilemill spindles, the brake mechanism being of the type which is operatedto stop rotation of the spindle, as by frictionally engaging the spindlewhorl, consequent upon moving a support for the spindle in a directionto cause disengagement of the whorl and its driving band. Mechanisms ofthat type are well known. suitable brake shoe material for contact withthe spindle whorl have been unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons.When the installations have required provision for yielding movement ofthe brake shoe support after engagement of the shoe with the whorl theprior arrangements have been either crude and unsatisfactory for theirpurposes or the expense of production has been disproportionate to thework to be performed.

The principal object hereof is to provide an improved brake mechanism ofthe type indicated, and particularly one which is not open to the abovenoted objections of prior constructions.

A specific object is to provide a textile mill spindle brake adapted tobe applied as a result of moving the spindle a predetermined distanceaway from the usual driving band, said brake including a strong slidingbut non-rotary support for friction material, a practical andinexpensive means for enabling the friction material to be easilychanged when worn or damaged, said brake including an improved springplunger construction to enable latching of the spindle in idle ornon-driven position While friction braking force is being applied tostop rotation of the spindle.

Other objects will be made apparent in the following description of apreferred form.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a spindle mounting bracketassembly incorporating the invention and with the brake mechanism idle.Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the spindle stoppingoperation of the brake. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of part of thebrake mechanism as indicated at 3-3 on Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a centralvertical sectional View of the brake shoe and a head portion of asupporting plunger therefor prior to locking of the brake shoe in placeon the head. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the brake shoe and itsmounting head.

As shown in Figs. l and 2 the textile mill spindle S, comprising bolstercase l and rotary blade and whorl assembly (live spindle unit) 2, ismounted on a supporting saddle 3 of fiat C shaped section (not shown).The mounting is preferably non-rigid as by provision of a spring 4 Thepreviously proposed supports for` and securing nuts 4a on and around thebolster case, essentially as in Gleitz et al. Patent 2,433,- 987 datedJanuary 6, 1948. The saddle is slidably secured to a generally T-shapedsupporting or mounting bracket 5 (also essentially according to saidpatent), the bracket being fastened securely as by clamping device 6 toa portion of the spinning or twisting machine frame (not shown). Thecommon type of spindle mounting rail illustrated includes parallelsubstantially rigid tubes or pipes 1.

The spindle-driving band 8 (Fig. 1 only) is maintained in anapproximately fixed vertical plane of movement generally parallel to thespindle rail by guiding means not shown, so; that the spindle whorl 9 isin contact therewith for rotation of the spindle when the saddle 3 andsupported spindle S are` in the position shown in Fig. 1.

The saddle 3 is biased by a tension spring l0 toward the position inwhich the spindle is being driven; and to withdraw the saddle :anddisconnect the spindle whorl and driving band a handle and latch devicell, pivoted to the saddle at Ila, projects horizontally over the portion5a of the bracket 5. Ordinarily the handle/latch device Il is designedso that its latching shoulder I2 can be swung downwardly beyond theforward edge of bracket portion 5a. to hold the spindle in an idle ornon-driven position (Fig. 2). In the illustrated construction anupstanding brake-supporting arm or post l5 for the brake mechanismhereof is made a part of the bracket 5 (attached by screws |5a as shown)has an opening I6 through which the latch/handle device Il extends, andthe latching shoulder l2 engages an outwardly bent lip l'l on the arm I5to latch and retain the spindle in non-driven position.

The purpose of the brake or brake assembly hereof, indicated at 20, isto quickly stop the spindle and its yarn package (not shown) fromrotating; and to do so as a consequence of moving the spindle into thelatched position, Fig. 2.

The brake 20 comprises a spring biased plunger assembly 2|, the enlargednon-circular head portion 22 of which carries at its free end a sheetmetal mounting piece 23 for a suitable brake surface supporting element(block or pad) 24 representing, for instance, a cut piece of leather ora molded section of suitable brake block composition.

'Ihe mounting piece 23 for the pad or braking element 24 is made as ametal stamping with paired anges 26 which form a dove tail recess forthe brake material. The flanges 28 slightly converge forwardly towardthe spindle as brought out in Fig. 3 and converge downwardly at a morepronounced angle toward the saddle 3 and its support as shown by Fig. 5.In case the brake material of the pad 24 is leather it is cut generallyin the keystone shape similar to the mounting piece as viewed in Fig.but is merely squeezed into the trapezoidal or truncated wedge formshown by Fig. 3 through pressure of the ilanges 26 To lock the pad 2d onthe stamping 23 a lip 27 thereof is turned downwardly over the brakeelement as illustrated by Figs. 3 and 5 after said element has beeninserted into the dove tail recess. The acting face 28 (Fig. 3) of thebraking pad 24 may conform generally to the whorl 9 to increase brakeface contact therewith. The mounting piece 23 is secured to the head 22of the plunger 2| by welding or brazing.

Brake elements serving the above indicated purpose have been designedfor support by spring plungers but, at least usually, so as to turn onthe plunger axes thus limiting the braking area approximately to linecontact with the whorl. The non-circular form of the plunger head 22 insupported sliding contact with a non-circular housing or guide 35hereof, prevents the brake element from turning out of position andholds it accurately in alignment with the spindle whorl axis.

The housing 3l] can be most inexpensively made by forming a flatrectangular strip of sheet metal 'into a hollow tube (e. g.) oirectangular section. In that case the seam is closed as by brazing. Thetube has a suitable number of :z

oppositely outstruck attaching tabs 3i, Fig. 3, preferably welded eitheragainst the arm or post l5 or, as specically illustrated, to a mountingstamping 33 made as a circular necked washer (neck at 34). In case ofusing the stamping 33 the same is welded to the arm l5 as clearlyindicated in Fig. 2. The neck portion 3d of the mounting stamping 35iorms a iree guide for a reduced circular stem 35 of the plunger 2i; anda coiled compression spring 3S, normally extended as in Fig. 3,surrounds the stein and forces the plunger and braking pad 2d outwardlytoward the spindle whorl in line therewith. To retain the plungerassembly in its housing 39, 'when theA brake is withdrawn from contactwith the spindle, by spring i8 acting on saddle 3, a snap ring 3l ispreferably applied to the exposed end of the stem 3E as shown.

The operation of the brake 2t in stopping the spindle when the latter ismoved by the handle/latch l l to latching position of the latter will beevident from Fig. 2. During that operation, after initial contact of thebraking pad Zl'wth the whorl 9, the plunger spring t@ graduallyincreases the braking force and permits the latching shoulder l2 to behooked over the lip I1 of the brake-supporting post i5. The latch -isreleased by upward movement of its handle portion as will be evident,the shoulder l2 being thereby cammed over the holding lip ll.

It will be evident from the above that the brake can be veryinexpensively manufactured and assembledV from comparatively inexpensiveand simple parts; operates to hold the brake pad element 24 securely inposition for most effective contact with the whorl; that the spring 36is fully housed against being blocked by accumulations of dirt or lint,and that the braking pad element 2d may be easily and inexpensivelyrenewed when worn or damaged, either by lifting the lip 2l, removing theelement and replacing it in its mounting or by removing the entireplunger assembly 2i and replacing said assembly.

We claim:

1. A textile spindle brake for a spindle supported on a slide adapted tobe latched to a xed support in a position wherein the spindle is clearof its driving band, said brake comprising a spring plunger deviceslidably carried by the xed support and always presenting the samefriction braking face for contact with a circular surface of thespindle, said braking face yieldingly engaging said circular surfacewhen the slide is latched in said position.

2. A brake according to claim 1 wherein the spring plunger device is atube of non-circular section slidably supporting a complementary portionof a plunger element projecting from the tube and on which the brakingface is xedly mounted so that it cannot turn about the axis of theplunger.

3. A textile spindle brake of the class described, designed for use witha slidably mounted spindle for automatic contact therewith when thespindle is moved on its slide away from its driving band a predetermineddistance, said brake including a eystone-shaped pad of friction materialand a sheet metal mounting for the pad formed to pro- Vide akeystone-shaped recess embracing the pad and having a pair oi flangesgripping the converging side edges of the pad, said mounting having alip tightly engaging the wider end oi the pad to hold the same seatedrmly in the recess.

4. A xtile spindle brake of the class described designed for use with aslidably mounted spindle for automatic contact therewith when thespindle is moved on its slide away from its driving band, said brakeincluding a plunger having means supporting friction braking materialfor contact with the spindle7 a coil spring for the plunger actingthereon at one end and a housing for the plunger and cooperatingtherewith fully to enclose the spring, said plunger and housing havingjuxtaposed mutually slidably contacting face portions preventing thebraking material from rotating out of position about the axis of theplunger.

CHARLES E. MILLER. FLOYD H. SWEET.

REFERENCES CITED rThe following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 751,894 Bentley Feb. 9, 19041,482,779 Bradley Feb. 5, 1924 1,786,252 Magrath Dec, 23, 1930 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 358,437 Germany Sept. 12, 1922

